Solution:

Given Data:

*The volume of both the masses is same: V1  V2

*The density of m1 is more than the density of m2 : 1   2

(a)

The potential energy is a function of mass, gravitational acceleration and the

height of the object:
PE  m  g  h

Thus, the final height up the ramp reached by m1 is greater than the final
height of m2 .

(b)

The force exerted by the spring on each mass is:

F  kx

Here, k is the stiffness of the spring and x is the initial compression of the
spring.

Thus, the force exerted by the spring on m2 is equal to the force exerted by
the spring on m1 .

(c)

The impulse on each mass by the spring is given as:

I  F  t

Here, t is the duration of the force acting.

The duration of the force exerted by the spring on m1 is equal to the

duration of the force exerted on m2 .